Paranormal investigators are to visit Harrogate’s Odeon cinema next month to try to find out if the building is haunted.
There have been rumours of ghostly apparitions at the cavernous Grade II listed building, which dates back to 1936.
Now a company called Spiritus Paranormal has hired the venue on August 6. People who buy tickets costing £40 can go along and be part of the investigation.
Wayne Williams, who founded the company, said:
“We will try to find out if it is haunted. We have a lot of equipment that can help to identify paranormal activity.”
The company’s equipment includes items such as electromagnetic field detectors, infrared cameras and Ouija boards.
Participants will split into groups with investigators and carry out paranormal checks in different parts of the building.
Asked if he genuinely believed in paranormal activity, Mr Williams said:
“I’ve seen too much not to. But I also err on the side of caution. If nothing happens so be it. We will not make things happen just to put bums on seats.
The company’s website says of the Odeon:
“This place has never been investigated, staff have reported paranormal activity, this venue has so much history.”
Stray Views: Station Gateway ‘will degrade things’
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.
Having read the latest on this project I see that the council admit that pedestrianising James Street will reduce business by 2% and that by reducing Station Parade to one lane a journey round town would increase by 73 seconds.
From day one of this ludicrous scheme we have been told how it will improve everything and be a big benefit to Harrogate.
It would appear that so far the only thing guaranteed is that it will degrade things. It would seem that the maths I was taught in school in the 50s do not conform to modern teaching if these figures are now considered an improvement.
Malcolm Hodgekinson, Harrogate
I must strongly object to what can only be described as the Satanic imagery featured in the posters in the streets and website for the “Harrogate Carnival”.
A “person” in a fetish leather clad red dress featuring devil horns and scary red makeup is not what I would call “family friendly”.
If this is representative of what this Carnival is about then I don’t think it is appropriate for young children to attend, I certainly won’t be bringing my family to it.
I would like to know if my hard earned council tax money is being spent on this outrage to good taste and decency?
Ian Hardcastle, Harrogate
Harrogate Lib Dems are very angry at North Yorkshire County Council for ignoring our plea, made at the last Harrogate Borough Council meeting, to stop the closure of Woodfield School, which was agreed by all councillors.
The North Yorkshire Conservative Executive Member responsible for Education has not stopped the closure of the school and declined to ask the Secretary of State for Education to remove the academisation order leaving the children of Woodfield in difficult circumstances, long walks to schools and in one case, so far, siblings being potentially sent to different schools.
We need more schools in Harrogate not less with thousands of houses still to be built in Kingsley where will all these young people go for their schooling? This is a disgrace and the young people of Woodfield are being let down so, so badly.
Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
Four traditional pubs to visit in the Harrogate districtA new generation of drinkers are being drawn to craft beer and cocktail bars, sparking a decline in traditional pubs.
And while many of us love a good Negroni or an IPA, you can’t beat a good old fashioned British boozer.
Fortunately we are still blessed’ with some excellent ones in the Harrogate district.
We asked our readers for their favourites. Here are four of them:
Reputedly, the oldest pub in Harrogate has a history going back to the earliest days of the town’s emergence as a leading spa resort.
Originating as one of the first inns for spa visitors after sulphur wells were first established in the mid-18th century, sulphur springs still flow beneath the cellar and the distinctive odours occasionally percolate up to the bar area.
The premises were rebuilt circa 1827 and known as The Promenade Inn. At this time it was said to be a most successful coaching inn. It was enlarged in 1856 and known as Hodgson’s until 1882, when William Hales became the landlord.
The interior decor is reflective of the pub’s long history, with mirrors and fittings from the Victorian era, including traditional gas lighting and cigar lighters.
Stray Ferret reader Richard Dunston Brady said:
“Hales, is the best traditional pub for charm, atmosphere, friendly staff and a well pulled pint.”
Hales Bar, 1-3 Crescent Road, Harrogate, HG1 2RS
The One-Eyed Rat is a traditional pub, famous for its old fashioned charm.
It can be found on Allhallowgate, one of the oldest parts of Ripon.
A real ale destination over many decades, the One Eyed Rat was refurbished and re-opened under new management in the summer of 2020.
A Grade II listed building set within a terrace of 200-year-old houses, its narrow frontage leads to a warm and welcoming hostelry.
The pub has a long, narrow interior with traditional seating and an open fire, and there is a large garden at the rear, including a covered area.
You can also enjoy a traditional pie and a pint.
The historic building dates back to 1340 and goes back several centuries as an inn.
It was almost certainly known as the Ship in the 17th century, as there is a token copper coin in existence, dated 1671, which shows a ship in full sale with the inscription “John Briggs in Aldborough his half penny”.
Brian Rey and Elaine Howden, the owners of The Ship Inn, have been restoring the pub since January following a fire. They have served many high-profile guests, including Prince William and Harry.
The traditional country pub in the Roman town of Aldborough is well-known for Brian’s Yorkshire puddings and ‘real gravy’.
Low Rd, Aldborough, YO51 9ER
A newly discovered photo of a Harrogate cricket team from 100 years ago has sparked a quest to identify the players.
Eric Wainwright was clearing out his late elder brother’s house in Starbeck when he found a picture of the first ever winners of the Addison Cup.
The Addison Cup, which is contested by the top 16 teams in the Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League, is one of the oldest cricket competitions in the world, dating back to 1922.
The 100th final will be contested between Knaresborough and Burnt Yates at 6.15pm on Monday night at Follifoot Cricket Club.
The inaugural winners, seen here displaying the trophy, were a Harrogate team known as The Gas Company.
Mr Wainwright’s father William is the tall man in the middle of the back row.
Keen to find out the names of the others players, Mr Wainwright contacted Peter Horsman, secretary and treasurer of the league, for help.
Mr Horsman has now asked if Stray Ferret readers can identify any of the men.
He added:
“Eric and myself would be very interested in hearing from anybody who has any old memorabilia associated with the Harrogate evening league and the associated cup competitions.
“Pictures, league handbooks before 1980, individual winner’s medal etc.”
The winners of the cup on Monday night will be presented the trophy by the grandchildren of Harry Addison, who donated the trophy in 1922.
Harrogate Cricket Club, after winning last year’s Addison Cup.
Mr Horsman has invited Mr Wainwright, who lives in York, to the final to present the runners-up trophy.
Harrogate Cricket Club beat Wetherby Carr Manor by 32 runs in last year’s final.
Burnt Yates defeated Harrogate in the quarter-finals this year.
If you have information about the photo you can call Mr Horsman on 07798 582792 or email him at peter_horsman@hotmail.co.uk.
‘Let’s make the best of it’: Hopes and fears for 3000-home Maltkiln settlement
Heated public meetings, protests outside council offices and legal challenges in the high court couldn’t stop Harrogate Borough Council from deciding that 3,000 homes should be built around the villages of Cattal, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton.
The decision was mired with suspicion and ill feeling but now residents are trying to look ahead to how the project can work for them and the people who will eventually live there.
The cold-sounding “new settlement” has been given the more homely title of Maltkiln and a draft document has been published that outlines how the the 3,000 homes along with roads, schools, shops and public spaces will develop over the next few decades.
Since 2016 the name Green Hammerton became synonymous with the new settlement, usually in debates that pitted the merits of developing land there versus Flaxby, which is closer to Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The council’s preferred option for the settlement is now centred around Cattal railway station, on the other side of A59 from Green Hammerton.
Chris Hay and James Veitch are shareholders of Green Hammerton’s Post Office, which also serves as a shop, newsagent and soon-to-be cafe.
The two have a grudging acceptance that the homes will be built but are concerned that Maltkiln will erode the village’s identity, which stretches back to Domesday times.
Green Hammerton
They have already seen Green Hammerton, population 675, swell with three new build housing schemes in recent years.
Mr Veitch said:
“The word inevitable comes to mind but you have to be grown up and make the best of it”.
A development plan document (DPD) drawn up by Harrogate Borough Council includes a vision for what Maltkiln will eventually become, which is a “garden village with a distinctive identity where people want to live, work and spend time”.
It conjures up a pastoral scene but with an eventual population larger than Boroughbridge, calling Maltkiln a village is misleading to some.
Mr Veitch said:
“They call it a village don’t they? How on earth can you call a 3,000 development a village? It’s a town, not an insignificant one at that. It will be big enough to create traffic jams on the A59”.
3,000 new homes is likely to result in at least 6,000 cars. Mr Veitch fears that much more investment in Cattal Station is required if commuters are going to leave their cars at home.
Cattal Station
He added:
“There will be a lot of commuting, that’s the bottom line. The A59 will be busy and the railway will not increase its capacity much more than what it is. I don’t buy the argument that it’s a hub where you can transport 10,000 people to anywhere.
“People will still use their cars, anyone who suggests otherwise is naive.”
Keith Welton and his wife Val have lived in Cattal for 16 years, close to the railway station that the developer Oakgate Group hopes will be one of the unique selling points of Maltkiln.
With homes set to be built in green fields that currently surround the family home, Mr Welton might be forgiven for feeling negative or even bitter about the development.
However, he’s taking a pragmatic approach and sees several benefits that it could bring to the area and the people who live in the villages.
Serious infrastructure investment is promised in the DPD, including improvements to the dangerous Whixley crossing on the A59. Cattal Station already saw £10m of investment in 2020 to increase the number of trains to Harrogate and York.
Kirk Hammerton will also be impacted by Maltkiln
Mr Welton has seen his children and their friends priced out from living locally and he hopes affordable housing can inject some younger blood into the area.
He also hopes the new North Yorkshire Council will be firm with the developers and ensure that affordable housing genuinely is affordable.
Mr Welton said:
“There’s an acute need for affordable housing. Many of our young people come out of university and want to go to Leeds, Manchester or London. They settle down, and they want to come back. We need to capitalise on that talent and make housing available for them.”
“I’m 74 and you can’t have a village full of 74 year olds!”
A criticism of HBC for choosing Green Hammerton over Flaxby was a perception that its residents will be heading in one direction towards York for work and leisure.
But Mr Welton said the majority of his family’s trips are to Harrogate to visit restaurants or the theatre.
He believes Flaxby is “one of the most desirable commercial sites in the whole of North Yorkshire” and that homes built next to a noisy motorway would have made it a poor choice for housing.
He added:
“I do think the location for Maltkiln makes sense. It’s now up to people to make the best fist of it. It’s easy to be negative. We should turn those energies around to get the sort of development that will be an exemplar and people think, wow”.
The DPD for Maltkiln is 88 pages long and the words ‘climate change’ are mentioned on 36 of them.
It’s clear that HBC hopes the settlement will differ from every other large housing scheme in the district it has approved in recent years that have done little to tackle the climate emergency or help the council reach its emission reduction goals.
The government is set to ban gas boilers in new build homes from 2025. It means the homes in Maltkiln should be powered by renewable energy sources such as heat pumps or solar panels.
The document also claims the development will offer a “biodiversity net gain”, which is a planning phrase that means it will leave the environment in a better state than it was before the homes were built.
But when Maltkiln will involve concreting over vast swathes of green fields, it’s an ambition that could appear impossible.
Land in Cattal earmarked for development
Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn on North Yorkshire County Council, said he hopes the developer can be influenced to ensure go further than government regulations around the environment.
He said:
“It’s really, really important we don’t get into lip service and tokenism around biodiversity but it’s going to happen so let’s make sure it happens for best of our community, not just stand back and say I don’t agree with it.”
He added:
“The solution is not to concrete over it, but then the scenario is where do you build the houses? Some people say brownfield but people underestimate the biodiversity of brownfield sites, nature gets everywhere”.
Harrogate Borough Council will cease to exist in less than a year’s time but arguably the biggest decision it made during its existence was deciding to change the face of Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Cattal forever with the new settlement.
How successful Maltkiln will turn out could be HBC’s ultimate legacy.
Woman bids farewell to pub industry to open Harrogate tanning salonA Harrogate woman has swapped the bar for beds after leaving the pub industry and opening her own tanning salon.
Jade Lacey, 27, launched Be Bronze & Beauty…Ful, on Skipton Road, this week.
The new salon, which is above McCanns barbers, has three sunbeds and offers a range of beauty treatments, including lashes, brows and spray tans.
It has been completely refurbished, thanks to her “handy” dad, and she hopes to employ a nail technician in the coming weeks.
Ms Lacey decided to take the leap and open her own business after working in hospitality for many years.
She was a familiar face at So! Bar and Eats in Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as the Devonshire Tap House, on Devonshire Place, and the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Scotton.
But after completing a number of beauty courses during the pandemic, she decided to launch the salon after her dad’s friend offered her the premises.
Inside the salon, which has been refurbished.
Ms Lacey said:
“This came up and I thought why wouldn’t you want to be your own boss? It was a bit daunting completely changing careers, but now I’m up and running, I’m really loving it.”
The irony of opening a sunbed shop on the hottest day of the year was not lost on her.
She laughed:
Popular pub landlords say farewell to Christies“I had to close the sunbeds on Monday and Tuesday as it was too hot!”
It’s the end of an era for pub landlords Marik Scatchard and Jo Jarvis who have left Christies Bar in Harrogate after over 14 years.
The couple had a leaving party this week to toast the end of their time at the pub, which is opposite Harrogate Convention Centre on Kings Road.
The watering hole has now closed for a refurbishment that is expected to take around six weeks.
The couple said:
“Thanks to all the customers over the years.”
Bettys celebrates new Railway Children movie with steam train display
Bettys Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate has created a new window display celebrating the release of The Railway Children Return movie.
The front window features a biscuit version of the steam train featured in the film, hand-decorated at Bettys Craft Bakery.
As the sequel to one of the most beloved family films of all time, The Railway Children Return stars some of the original cast and is described as “an adventure for a new generation”.
Like the original film, it is set in West Yorkshire with scenes shot in and around the countryside of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway .
The movie is currently playing in cinemas and has received generally favourable reviews with the Guardian concluding it’s “an amiable and ingenious tribute to the innocent, good-natured spirit of the original”.
In partnership with the film, Bettys has created a limited-edition gift box, filled with a selection of treats.
Bettys’ waitress Rose Seddon with the limited edition gift boxes
Transport chiefs urged not to lose focus on improving Harrogate bus services
Transport chiefs have been urged not to lose focus on improving buses in Harrogate after warnings that services are facing a “potential cliff-edge” due to more funding cuts.
North Yorkshire County Council’s bid for £116 million from the high-profile Bus Back Better scheme was rejected in April when the government claimed the plans to upgrade buses and infrastructure across the county lacked “sufficient ambition”.
And now there are warnings that bus services could be at risk of being axed when other government funding comes to an end in October.
Conservative councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for transport at the county council, said in a report that services are already facing “significant pressures” ahead of the cuts which “presents a potential cliff-edge in terms of the future profitability of routes our residents rely upon”.
He added a review was underway to identify the risks and “keep as many of our vital services running as possible”.
At a full council meeting on Wednesday, Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Aldred said the loss of services was all too familiar following years of austerity cutbacks.
He said:
“We have got this deregulated system where as soon as a service isn’t making a profit in the eyes of the provider, it gets lost.
“In our urban communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough, we have suffered from this in recent years.”
Councillor Aldred – who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley – also made a political dig at the Bus Back Better scheme as he urged the council to keep pushing for improvements, particularly in urban areas.
He said:
“I would be worried – appalled even – if I was presenting a scheme for funding from a Conservative government to a Conservative council and the comeback was that the plan was unambitious.
“However, we are where we are and I note that we are assessing the support the council can provide at the moment.
“I would just plead that as well as looking at rural buses – which we all agree are a problem to provide regular and reliable services – we don’t forget urban services as well.”
The council’s Bus Back Better bid included £23 million for new bus lanes, £74 million for other infrastructure changes and £14 million for support for services.
However, North Yorkshire was one of many areas across the country which did not receive any funding.
In total, just 34 of 79 areas which applied were successful.
The council previously said some of its plans could still go ahead without government support, including an expansion of its on-demand bus service, YorBus, which is being trialled in Ripon, Bedale and Masham.
The possibility of a Harrogate park and ride scheme is also still being assessed, although progress has been slow and questions remain about how this would be funded.
Meanwhile, there has been success in a separate council bid for £7.8 million to make Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet all-electric with the delivery of 39 zero-emission buses
The project will cost almost £20 million in total, with more than £12 million being invested by the company’s parent firm Transdev.
At Wednesday’s meeting, councillor Duncan repeated disappointment over the Bus Back Better bid, but added the council would not be deterred from applying for future funding.
He said:
“Unfortunately our bid wasn’t successful and we didn’t receive the funding.
“That was an immense disappointment to the team that worked on the bid and we are trying to ascertain from government how we can ensure bids in the future are successful.”
Councillor Duncan also said he was keen to see the YorBus scheme rolled out across other parts of North Yorkshire following the trial.
He said:
Three-storey boutique ‘wellness venue’ set to officially open in Harrogate town centre“The feedback we have received has been very popular… but we do need more time to consider how we can roll out what I believe is an innovative scheme across other parts of the county.”
A three-storey boutique “wellness venue” is set to officially open in Harrogate town centre tomorrow.
Ebru Evrim will offer daily classes and workshops in yoga and Pilates in the former Laura Ashley premises, on James Street.
It follows a 4,000 sq ft refurbishment thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, which saw more than £300,000 raised.
A launch party, featuring food from Hustle & Co, took place at the venue last night and guests were given a tour around the building.
The third floor.
Ebru Evrim is the name of the brand’s founder and owner, who moved over from Istanbul in 2015.
She began to teach yoga and pilates in village halls in the Yorkshire Dales, before launching her first studio in Skipton.
Apparatus in one of the studios.
Following its success, Ms Evrim looked to Harrogate as a vibrant spa town already famed for championing wellness.
Ms Evrim, who also runs wellness holidays and yoga retreats, said:
“I’m so happy I think we are unique and I’m super excited to bring some healthy living to Harrogate. And I’m excited to introduce ourselves, our teachers and our services. I think it’s going to be great. I can’t wait.
“I was so lucky to find this place. We still have some work on the building to complete, but it has all been done by local tradesmen.
“The location is amazing. I’m so grateful to be given the opportunity to open this venue. Life is short and I want to give something good to this place.”
On the ground floor shop-front, Ms Evrim’s own-branded boutique fitness clothing is on sale.
On the second floor, state-of-the-art Pilates reformer apparatus will be in place. The machines are being made in California and were expected in April. However, they are now unlikely to arrive until September as a result of shipping delays.
Apparatus in one of the studios.
The apparatus will be alongside a space for working with clients requiring specialist therapy for conditions such as lower back, scoliosis, arthritis and osteoporosis. The floor also features showers and changing rooms.
The third floor, complete with industrial-style exposed brick walls and ambient lighting, provides space for yoga and Pilates classes with 30 mats and underfloor heating.
There will also be a cafe on the ground floor, offering snacks and healthy food, which is set to open in a month’s time.
Classes will begin tomorrow from 9am.